leah

leah

Leah is a translator and news writer for the Thaiger. Leah studied East Asian Religions and Thai Studies at the University of Leeds and Chiang Mai University. Leah covers crime, politics, environment, human rights, entertainment, travel and culture in Thailand and southeast Asia.
  • Covid-19 News

    Thailand Pass could be dropped on July 1

    ‘Thailand Pass’ could be scrapped completely on July 1, according to Thailand’s tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakan. The fate of Thailand Pass will be decided at the next meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, or CCSA, next Friday on June 17. Thailand Pass was already dropped for Thai nationals on June 1, but foreigners flying into the kingdom are…

  • Cannabis News

    More than 100,000 people register to grow cannabis at home in Thailand

    Today is cannabis decriminalisation day, and the people of Thailand have wasted no time in registering to grow their own cannabis plants at home. Thailand’s FDA revealed that, so far, more than 100,000 budding cannabis growers have registered via the ‘Plook Ganja’ website and mobile application. To legally grow cannabis or hemp at home, Thai people do not need to…

  • Phuket News

    Woman beats 3 year old step daughter to death in Phuket

    A 3 year old girl was beaten to death by her step mother in Phuket on Sunday evening. The child’s father was present when the incident happened but did not intervene. Both the step mother and the child’s father have now been arrested. On Sunday evening, Chalong Police Station received a call from Chalong Hospital to say a 3 year…

  • Crime News

    More than 3,000 ‘cannabis convicts’ to be released from Thai prison tomorrow

    Tomorrow, 3,071 prisoners locked up for cannabis-related drug crimes will be released from prisons all over Thailand. Thailand’s Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin ordered the Department of Corrections to release the prisoners tomorrow, June 9, when cannabis will be delisted as a Category 5 narcotic. Currently, there are 4,075 inmates in Thailand convicted of marijuana-related offences. A total of 3,071 of…

  • World News

    Canada launches vaccine campaign against monkeypox

    Quebec is the first Canadian province to launch a vaccine campaign against monkeypox, specifically aimed at ‘high-risk’ people who have been exposed to the virus. Over 800 Quebecers have been vaccinated with the Imvamune smallpox vaccine so far, which can build immunity against monkeypox, according to Canadian public health officials. So far, 90 cases of monkeypox have been recorded in…

  • Phuket News

    On, off, on, off: PM Prayut rips off face mask mid-speech in Phuket

    On Monday, just days after the requirement to wear face masks outdoors was re-imposed in Phuket province, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha dramatically ripped off his face mask mid-speech at a tourism event in Phuket, asking the crowd, “Are you ready?” On June 1, Thailand’s Ministry of Health announced that it was no longer a requirement to wear a mask…

  • Crime News

    Alleged child rapist/murderer attacked during re-enactment in central Thailand

    A man who allegedly raped and murdered two children in 2008 was attacked during a crime re-enactment in Khao Yoi district in the central province of Phetchaburi on Monday, reports Sanook. The suspect, 53 year old Chert Srijoon, went on the run for 14 years after allegedly raping and murdering 13 year old June and 16 year old Naen in…

  • World News

    Cambodia officially becomes ‘Covid-Free’

    Cambodia now claims it is now completely free of Covid-19, according to a statement released by the country’s health ministry yesterday. The last recorded case has recovered and Cambodia has entered a state of “Covid Zero.” The southeast Asian nation – which has a population of 16.7 million – recorded a total of 136,262 cases, 133,206 recoveries and 3,056 Covid-19…

  • Thailand News

    Thai AirAsia X launches cheap flights between Bangkok and Seoul, South Korea

    Thailand’s airline Thai AirAsia X has launched flights from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport to Seoul’s Incheon International Airport in South Korea. The route will take place 3 times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The first flight on the new route landed in Seoul yesterday, June 1. To celebrate the launch, the airline is offering return flights from Bangkok to…

  • Crime News

    Foreign tourist breaks into bank, goes on rampage in northern Thailand

    A foreign tourist broke into a Bangkok Bank branch in Pai in the northern province of Mae Hong Son yesterday evening. He smashed his way through several glass doors with rocks and proceeded to cause significant damage to the bank’s property. Police detained him and discovered he was illegally residing in the kingdom. A foreigner named Kent Douglas Meades –…

  • Phuket News

    UPDATE: Woman falls from Phuket condo, 3 foreign suspects refuse to speak

    UPDATE #2: Three foreign suspects refuse to speak about Russian woman who fell from Phuket condo The 3 foreigners who were drinking with Evegeniia on the night she fell from the 8th floor of a condominium in Phuket have so far refused to give any information to police about what happened. On the night of Evegeniia’s death, 3 foreigners were…

  • Crime News

    Woman accuses Thai politician of sending her unsolicited pictures of his genitals

    A Thai woman accuses a famous political party spokesperson of sending her unsolicited photos of his genitals and threats via Facebook. The woman filed a police complaint, with evidence, at Sutthisan Police Station in Bangkok today. She accused the spokesperson of violating the Computer Crimes Act by disseminating obscene material online. The 40 year old victim said the man sent…

  • Phuket News

    UPDATE: Woman falls from Phuket condo, 3 foreign suspects arrested

    UPDATE: Police arrest 3 foreigners in relation to death of woman who fell from Phuket condo The woman who fell from the 8th floor of a condominium in Phuket and died yesterday morning has been identified as 37 year old Evgeniia Smirnova of Russian nationality. Police have arrested 3 foreigners who were staying in the same apartment with Evgeniia, inlcuding…

  • Northern Thailand News

    Man accidentally shoots himself in the mouth in northeast Thailand

    A man has accidentally shot and killed himself while loading gunpowder into his cap gun at a rubber plantation in Roi Et province, northeast Thailand, yesterday evening. Police suspect he was holding the trigger end of the gun with his toes and blowing gunpowder into the barrel with his mouth when he must have accidentally pulled the trigger. The man’s…

  • Thailand News

    Pork sashimi can kill you, warns Thailand’s Department of Health

    A Japanese restaurant in Bangkok has raw pork on the menu, but Thailand’s Department of Health is begging people not to eat it. After a photo of the restaurant’s menu went viral on social media, eating “pork sashimi” became Thailand’s latest trend. But eating raw pork can actually kill you, warns the department. Raw pork contains harmful pathogens that are…

  • Thailand News

    UPDATE: 12 people exposed to monkeypox forced to quarantine in Thailand

    UPDATE: The 12 crew members and passengers who were in close contact with a traveller infected with monkeypox – who stopped off at Bangkok’s Survarnabhumi airport for 2 hours before flying on to Australia – are currently being forced to quarantine in Thailand. The 12 people have already been in enforced quarantine for 7 days and have shown no symptoms…

  • Crime News

    BREAKING: Court sentences British man who murdered and chopped up Thai woman

    UPDATE: Court sentences British man who murdered and chopped up Thai woman At 1:30pm this afternoon, Kanchanaburi Provincial Court sentenced Shane Kenneth Looker to 8 years in prison for murdering Laxami “Look” Manochat in 2014. The court ordered Shane to pay a total of 12.5 million baht to Look’s family. The court initially sentenced 51 year old Shane to 16…

  • Phuket News

    Foreign woman falls from Phuket condominium in potential murder case

    A foreign woman fell from the 8th floor of a condominium building in Patong, Phuket, and died in the early hours of this morning. Police are not ruling out murder because the woman was found clutching a clump of hair in her right hand. Her identity and nationality have not yet been confirmed. At 4:20am today, Patong Police Station received…

  • Crime News

    Tangmo: 5 of 6 suspects charged with “recklessness causing death”

    Prosecutors have ordered the indictment of 6 suspects in relation to the death of Thai actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong, who drowned in the Chao Phraya river in February during a boat trip with her friends. All 5 people on board the boat have been charged with “recklessness causing death.” Yesterday, superintendent of Muang Nonthaburi Police Station reported that the prosecutors…

  • Thailand News

    Thai Airways collaborates with Warner Bros to shoot ‘The Meg 2: The Trench’

    Thai Airways has entered into an agreement with Warner Bros Discover – or WBD – to provide flights to support the production of ‘The Meg 2: The Trench,’ a sequel to the 2018 film ‘The Meg.’ The airline will provide direct flights from various locations around the world and take special care in transporting film production equipment. Thai Airways say…

  • World News

    Malaysia’s biggest ever Thai festival “Think Thailand” has begun

    Malaysia is hosting the country’s biggest ever Thai festival, “Think Thailand,” for 12 days from May 29 – June 6 at Tropicana Gardens Mall in Damansara, Petaling Jaya. Attendees can shop for Thai products, watch cooking and martial arts demonstrations, sample Thai cuisine and observe cultural performances. “Think Thailand” will showcase a range of Thai brands and products at 50…

  • Thailand News

    4 year old drowns in pool at Chon Buri villa

    Yesterday, a 4 year old boy drowned in a swimming pool at a villa in Suthathip district in the eastern province of Chon Buri. Rescue workers from Rojanathamsathan Rescue Unit rushed to the scene at 8:30pm yesterday but sadly couldn’t save 4 year old Falah Senluang. Falah’s family told police they had travelled to the two-story villa from Samut Prakan…

  • Crime News

    British man who murdered and chopped up Thai woman to be sentenced tomorrow

    Tomorrow, the court will announce the fate of a British man who murdered and dismembered a Thai woman, stuffed her in a suitcase and dumped her body in the Mae Khlong River eight years ago. On November 6 2014, police discovered the body of 31 year old Laxami “Look” Manochat inside a suitcase dumped in the Mae Klong River in…

  • Crime News

    Chon Buri gunman shoots 3 people “because he was slapped in the face”

    A man shot three people, killing two and seriously injuring another in Ban Bueng district in the eastern province of Chon Buri on Saturday night. The gunman said he was drinking alone outside a convenience store when a group of men drinking around a nearby table criticised his personality. He said one of the men slapped him in the face,…

  • Thailand News

    Victoria’s Secret gives laid off Thai garment workers $8.3 million in compensation

    Lingerie company Victoria’s Secret has given a ‘wage theft’ payment of 8.3 million USD to 1,250 laid off Thai garment workers, who have been fighting for severance payments for over a year since their factory in Samut Prakan, central Thailand, went bankrupt and closed down in March 2021. Some workers received the equivalent of more than four years wages under…

  • Phuket News

    Soi Dog Foundation and DNP rescues monkey chained up for 2 years in Phuket

    Sandy the macaque, a former working monkey, has been given a fresh start in life after a heartbreaking two years of being chained up to a cage in Rawai subdistrict, Phuket. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Sandy worked in an elephant camp. The camp closed down over two years ago, and Sandy was chained up ever since, until today. Two expats,…

  • World News

    Burmese authorities confiscate OnlyFans star’s passport, cancels trip to Bangkok

    A Burmese woman said she lost her job as a doctor for posing in bikini photos online, and has now had her right to travel taken away by Burmese authorities. Yangon Passport Office reportedly confiscated the OnlyFans star’s documents, causing her to cancel her planned trip to Bangkok. The 33 year old OnlyFans star Nang Mwe San qualified as a…

  • Thailand News

    Restaurant in northern Thailand promises to sell 3 baht noodles despite inflation

    A restaurant in the northern province of Chiang Mai promises to keep serving 3 baht noodles, despite the cost of ingredients being higher than ever. The restaurant’s owner Thawat Pirata said he hasn’t increased the price of noodles in 34 years and doesn’t plan to. The 64 year old owner of noodle shop Kway Teow Sam Baht – or “3…

  • Crime News

    Man threatens PM Prayut’s daughters on Twitter, sentenced to 5 years in prison

    A man who posted a threatening message on Twitter aimed at the twin daughters of Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has been sentenced to 5 years imprisonment with no parole. Yesterday, Southern Bangkok Criminal Court found the man guilty of “publicising a crime” and for breaking the Computer Crimes Act because of a Tweet he posted in March last year.…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand’s monkeys are starving due to fear of monkeypox

    Monkeys in Lopburi, central Thailand, are starving because tourists have stopped feeding them in fear of the “monkeypox epidemic,” despite no cases being recorded so far in the kingdom. The atmosphere of Lopburi city, famous for its monkey population, has been significantly disrupted since the monkeypox epidemic began, despite the epidemic being centred in Europe, the USA and Australia. Usually,…